Police begin daily patrol of Los Angeles public schools

Jan. 7, 2013
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Los Angeles police on Monday began daily patrols of the city's 600 elementary and middle schools. The plan was announced last month by Police Chief Charlie Beck, shown on Dec. 27 holding one of the weapons collected in a gun buyback program. / Damian Dovarganes, AP

by Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY

by Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY

Los Angeles police on Monday began patrolling each of the city's 600 public elementary and middle schools in a beefed-up security plan rolled out after the shooting spree last month in Connecticut that left 20 students and six staff members dead.

The plan calls for officers to spend a half hour everyday at each school on a random time schedule to meet with school members, and possibly teachers and parents.

The move was not in response to any specific threat but was a precautionary measure, KCBS-TV reported.

The stepped-up presence by LAPD officers is one of the latest such moves taking place in several states, including Alabama, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the wake of the Dec. 14 killings in Newtown, Conn.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, who announced the plan two days after the Dec. 14 killings in Newtown, Conn., said officers and detectives will be assigned or will "adopt" a school and make beat checks part of their routine patrols.

"We won't be there all the time, but nobody will know when we will be there," Beck said.

The Los Angeles Daily News notes that members of the Los Angeles United School District's 350-person police force are already stationed at the district's 100-plus high schools. Private schools that request patrols will also be included.

Beck told the Los Angeles Times that the Sandy Hook shootings had forced him to "recalibrate" his department "to this new reality."

"A barrier has been broken in our culture, and that barrier is the safety of our youngest residents," Beck said. "It's all of our jobs to make sure that we resurrect that barrier and that our children are safe."

"Our main goal is to make these schools a less-appealing target because any potential actors will be aware that the police are often at the school and may arrive at any moment," Police Chief Tom Nolan said, the newspaper reported.

Police were also given key cards to allow access to school property, the paper said.

Police presence was also increased at North Wales, Pa., The Times Herald reported.

In Marlboro Township in central New Jersey's Monmouth County, armed guards were on duty last week to check every child, teacher and visitor arriving at the district's eight schools, Reuters reported.

The Totowa School District, in New Jersey's Passaic County, also began using armed police officers in its two elementary schools.

In addition, WPRI-TV in Providence, R.I., reported that a uniformed police officer will be on hand at all of the elementary schools in Crantson, R.I.

In New York state, police will patrol the entire Mamaroneck school district for the entire week, as officials meet Tuesday night to consider additional security measures after an armed man entered Hommocks Middle School last week, The Journal News/Lohud.com reported.

"The board will consider an emergency resolution to install entrance equipment and monitoring systems at the middle school and elementary schools," district spokeswoman Debbie Manetta told the newspaper.

In Vestavia, Ala., nine officers have assigned to make sure that at least one officer is on hand at all times in the community's elementary, middle school and two high schools, AL.com reported.